[citation needed] The popularity of the name has waned with the rise of its, chiefly North American,[3] meaning as "dupe" or "scapegoat".

[1] Fact, Fancy and Fable, published in 1889, notes that in a sketch performed in Boston "about twenty years ago" a character would repeatedly ask "Who did that?"

[5] Van's character became a broad vaudeville "type", imitated by many comedians, including Fred Allen, who later wrote, "Patsy Bolivar was a slang name applied to a bumpkin character; later, it was shortened to Patsy, and referred to any person who was the butt of a joke.

"[6] Lee Harvey Oswald, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, denied he was responsible for the murder, and stated: "No, they are taking me in because of the fact that I lived in the Soviet Union.

"[7][8] Byron Smith, after killing Haile Kifer and her cousin, Nicholas Brady, also claimed he was a patsy.